Sunday, 24 November 2013

Oh hi there! Yes, that's right it's Lucie & The Bump - still a bump and not a baby!!!

This will be a very brief 41 week update as 1. I am knackered 2. It's quite pointless telling you things like cravings and symptoms and whether or not I'm in maternity clothes for this week and 3. I am saving the in depth detail for my birth story (if it ever gets here)

So since my last update I have been in and out of early labour and I can safely say that this week has been the hardest and worst week of my life EVER!!

It turns out the sweep I had may have caused me more grief than it was worth. It could have actually put me in a lot of pain and even kick started contractions but in fact my cervix just wasn't ready enough go the full way yet!

I have spent most nights wide awake with extreme back pain, stomach aches and contractions as well as a couple of trips to the hospital - I promise I will go into more detail when I publish my birth story

So here I am, snuggled up with Mr H with a naughty Harry all cosy and warm still in my belly, where he seems insistent on staying! I'm pain free for now and able to sleep and I am happy to stay that way, so there will be no more sweeps for Lucie!!!

I am booked in to have my waters broken on Thursday 28th November and to be induced if our little boy decides to not make his way out himself before then!

Thank you so much for all the lovely messages, tweets and comments I really appreciate everyone's well wishes and their interest in Harry's arrival!!

I guess this waiting makes us just even more excited to meet him ourselves, and he will be showered with so much love and affection when we finally get to see his face!!

Wednesday, 20 November 2013

As my regular readers will know we have finally moved into our new home! There's is still a lot of work to do but one room that is practically finished is our Prince Harry's nursery!! I have been soooo excited to show you and this post is going to be rather pic heavy - but I'm not even sorry

A few shots first of all of us preparing the room..

A paint and fume mask is essential ladies if you are preggo and planning on getting in on the decorating action!!

..oh and so is an exercise ball! I used it constantly to sit on whilst painting as I didn't want to over do it on my feet - I believe this also helped Harry to turn and engage his head as he was breech before I started my hard graft!

Daddy H concentrating on the cutting in!!

Uncle Scott painting my stripes for me!

Harrys furniture is the Sienna 3 piece set from Mamas & Papas and I am SO glad we picked it over the Ikea stuff we were originally looking at. The quality of all 3 pieces is impeccable, they are really really sturdy, have a lovely finish to them and were so simple to build. I would say though that the set is not white its definitely cream no matter how much the shop try and tell you it is white!! Its not the cheapest range to go for but we figured we are saving money in the long run as the cot turns into a cot bed, the changing dresser turns into a normal chest of drawers and the wardrobe is full sized, so all three will grow with him

The cute elephant changing mat was bought months ago from John Lewis and probably started off our whole elephant obsession! It fits perfectly on Harrys changing dresser.The top drawer in the dresser is jam packed with nappies, wipes and cotton pads and as you can see the other 2 drawers are full to the brim with goodies for Haribo to wear!!

I love all of his stuffed animals they are so soft! His White Company elephant is definitely my favourite and was a present from his Auntie Jackie! I remember loving my teddies so much when I was little! I had this really really ugly brown thing called Billy Belly Button Bear - he was the love of my life!! I wonder which one he will pick as his favourite!!

Ewan The Dream Sheep was also a present from 2 of my girly pals and I will be reviewing this once we have trialled it with our little man.

We don't have a cot bedding set yet as the only one we like is quite expensive and seeing as its not needed until he is in his own room it can wait!

Above the changing area is a shelf with a basket for changing essential's so they are all to hand and we don't have to go wandering off to get anything! The Daddy sign is from Ebay and was Scott's fathers day present this year and the Jellycat Monkey came from a family trip to Monkey World back in the summer!Harry's cousin Lily painted the ceramic elephant and gave it to us as a gift for our baby shower - CUTE!!

The shelves used in his room are from Ikea and come in a range off colours with all sorts of brackets and fixtures. I painted the brackets on ours grey to match the stripey wall

One of my fave things in the room is the "H is for Harry" print which I found for free on the internet! I just bought a cheap silver frame from Ikea and got the print done at work so the whole thing cost us a teeny tiny £6. I also found the elephant print online for free and got a little frame from Matalan for that one - the frame however is too small and cuts off the words so looks a bit silly right now!

The mirror was originally an oak colour and was £10 in a Matalan sale! I used white Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and some sanding paper to distress it and I love how it turned out!We decided to get a pretty normal chair and footstool as a nursing chair as we figured we didn't want to waste money on getting a glider or something that can't be used in the future. At least this chair could easily fit in with our living area or be used in another bedroom. We got it from Ikea and its sooooo comfy! I got the voile from Wilko's for like a fiver and used a Little a white Compamy ribbon as a tie back! Scott thinks the voile is girly but I think it really softens up the whole room and can easily be taken down when Harry is a little older.The rug is also from Ikea and feels super soft and warm on cold tootsies!

The wooden letters on this shelf I got from Ebay for super cheap and just used a couple of coats of grey paint to make them match the room! I am sure Harry will play with these when he is bigger and hopefully they will help him learn how to spell his name! I got the little Paris tin from Dunhelm and for some reason I just think it looks really cute in just room. Paris is mine and his Daddy's fave place where we had a beautiful trip last year so I'm kind of obsessed with anything Parisian related!

This little guy greets you at the nursery door as well as being a handy doorstop! I bought him from Ebay a couple of weeks ago and we think he is just ADORABLE! Also pretty handy of course at keeping the door open! I think he needs a name.. Any suggestions??

The laundry basket is an essential for our little dudes room as he has so many clothes I feel I will be doing a lot of changes and washes! This one fits the room perfectly and so another Dunhelm purchase. I also think this can grow with him as it's not babyish!

We are yet to hang this on the wall as we have been a little preoccupied trying to bring on my labour but this painting by an artist called Lucy Loves is one of our best buys for the nursery. The photo doesn't do the painting justice though as its full of glitter, different textures and tons of imagination! This again is something else that will hopefully grow with Harry but once he thinks it's maybe too babyish mummy and daddy will gladly have this in our room to make us feel young again!!

So there you have it.. All we need now is a tiny little baby called Harry to make his appearance!

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

It may have something to do with the fact that I myself am a proper Christmas baby as I decided to surprise my parents, be really awkward, and arrive on Christmas Eve!

As my naughty little baby has decided its much warmer inside his mummy than it is out I have been "window shopping" online and here are some Christmas goodies I am loving and should to get you and your little ones in the Crimbo spirit ;-)

1. Unisex Star Print Christmas Romper﻿ £18.50 from Mamas & Papas - We have actually just purchased this one for our baby boy to wear at Christmas as we had a voucher to spend and there was a 30% discount weekend on. I LOVE this little romper! It works for a girl or a boy and is comfy and cosy whilst still being festive

2. Reindeer Socks £3 from Tesco F&F - Another bargain from Tesco F&F, I love these little socks and for the price you could get a few pairs in case one goes walkabouts!

3. Unisex Christmas Pyjamas £14-£16 from Mothercare - Every little boy or girl needs Christmas pyjamas to sleep in over the festive period and these are some of my faves from Mothercare!

4. Unisex Christmas Knitted Cardi £26 from Mamas & Papas - Another unisex number from their amazing Christmas collection.. I love the fairisle pattern on this cardi and its really thick and warm for those Christmas walks we all know and love!

5. My First Snow Globe £15 from John Lewis - There is something about snowglobes that I find really magical and this one from John Lewis for your baby's first Christmas is adorable!

6. Christmas Pudding Jumper £8 from Tesco F&F - As always Tesco F&F have a great range of baby clothing for Xmas and this pudding jumper is no exception! Its great value for money as well

8. My First Christmas Personalised Stocking £10 from Mothercare - I still have my stocking from when I was a baby and I would love to get Harry one to keep forever too! Obviously this isn't likely to be filled this year as he won't have a clue about Crimbo but I think this is such a nice thing to have if you have a new baby for Xmas! (Plus this one already has our little boys name on!)

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Total weight gain: I feel HUGE things are wobbling all over the place!

Maternity clothes? Nothing new of course as I shouldn't be pregnant too much longer! I also haven't really been going out much at all as I am just too knackered so it's been pj days most days for me!

Stretch marks? I have a stretch mark on my back and I am gutted!! I knew it would happen, especially going all the way to 40 weeks! However it is so small and not too prominent that it might disappear (one can hope)! I suppose it's better to be on my back as well than to be on my belly!

I went back to using Palmers Cocoa Butter after the dryness eased on my tummy which again I cannot praise enough for getting me this far! I have still been using my Mama Mio Boob Tube (review here) of course!!

Sleep: Sleep has been a little better this week and I don't know if it's because we are in the new house now and it feels a little cosier and I am less stressed! The only thing is our main bathroom is downstairs as it's an Edwardian property so when I need to go to the loo I am pretty much wide awake by the time I get back to bed!

Best moment this week: The best thing about this week has been living in our new home, I have pretty much been smiling all week! It's so nice to have our own space, which I personally think looks great, and I'm so proud of what we have achieved!!

Worst Moment This Week: So I had a stretch and sweep yesterday afternoon which I was a little nervous about as I didn't know what to expect. I was however told it didn't really hurt and just feels uncomfortable - BUT I found it so so painful!!!!!!! I think it shocked me how much it did hurt and that was my worst moment this week by a mile!!

Food cravings: I cannot get enough chocolate this week and I had a major chocolate brownie craving one day so I whipped up a late night batch and they tasted like heaven! Mr H wasn't complaining about this craving either..

Miss anything? Again just missing my old bod now!! I sorted through loads of clothes whilst moving and I cannot believe the size of some of the dresses and shorts I have!! Will I ever squeeze into them again!!??

Movement: Still lots of movement from Haribo but it is decreasing slightly and this is quite obviously because he barely has any room in there anymore! I've got a feeling he's going to be a bit of a chubba when he arrives but my midwife has guesstimated just 7lbs!!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Again just a few moments of nausea throughout the week but nothing horrific and nothing really triggering it apart from yesterday when I felt sick the entire day!

Gender: BOY!

Labour signs: So I guess this is the exciting bit.. I mentioned above that my worst moment this week was having the sweep. Well it was horrendous but it also

lead to me become 3cm dialated!! I also had a show a few hours later and my midwife is adamant that Harry will be arriving this very weekend!

She said it was one of the best sweeps she has done and I was already 1-2cm when she started it and his head was incredibly low so in theory I should have a very quick labour when it comes to pushing!

Immediately after the procedure I started to get quite heavy period pain type cramping which was pretty constant and my midwife said that was it all kicking off.. Eek!

I spent most of last night restless on the sofa and in quite a lot of pain which I managed with paracetamol, but this morning the pain has decreased (annoying)! We are going to have a nice long walk today and I'll be doing some bouncing around on my preggo ball to hopefully get things moving!

Symptoms: Obviously I am now having all the symptoms above but the majority of the week I didn't feel too bad or have many symptoms at all! I wasn't getting tummy aches as often and it felt like there was less pressure in my pelvis - even though my midwife said He was really pushing down on it!! I think I just have just got used to the pain or something

The rib pain is much less intense as well which I am very grateful for!

Belly button in or out? It's so flat like I never had a belly button

Happy or moody most of the time? Since learning that I am 3cm dialated I am really happy as it could mean we are going to meet our little boy very soon!

Looking forward to: Harry's arrival of course :-) We are ready for you little man!!! - Plus I will be totally impressed if you arrive on your due date! On time just like your daddy always is!

Bump: Apologies for the dodgy pj/tired face pics!!

If this is my last update then I will see you on the flip side!!! Thank you so much to all my readers for your support and lovely comments! I can't wait to show you our little man! Xx

Thursday, 14 November 2013

A while back I read an article on the daily mail website about women who are going to extreme lengths to look good during labour - you can read the article here

Now whilst some of the measure's the women have gone to seem a little over the top, I think that us preggo ladies have every right to pamper ourselves in preparation for labour!

I personally wouldn't go as far as having a spray tan and a salon blow dry but I would have fake tan on as its something I use daily, and yes I will be applying makeup and doing my hair if I feel like it and have the time beforehand! I know it could be a total waste of time as I will end up a screaming sweating mess but why not let a girl try and make herself feel good on one of the most stressful/amazing days of her life!

The first thing I will be doing when I feel the first twinge is jumping in the bath and sorting our my *ahem* lady garden!

I did also consider buying a Gownie like the one Anna Saccone wore in her birth with Emelia. Its cute, pink, polka dot and comfy and made her feel good - much nicer than having to wear a used hospital gown which has greyed out in the wash! I instead opted for a Primark nightie due to the price of a Gownie!!

I think women are criticised far too much during pregnancy.. we are slated when we look huge, slobbish and don't "dress our bumps" but its the same when we do try to make the effort to look flawless

So girls.. if you want to wear a tutu, tiara and glitter hairspray during your hospital stay then I say go for it and don't let anybody stand in your way!!

Sunday, 10 November 2013

Total weight gain: No clue still but as promised I will weigh myself before the birth! I do feel extra big this week though and it's been really hard to get myself around, I generally need Mr H to pull me up from a sitting or laying posistion! I'm starting to find it highly frustrating and can see now why pregnant women are totally and utterly fed up by this stage!

Maternity clothes? I haven't purchased anything new as I am hoping to be in skinnier clothes very soon, however I have been sent a couple of dresses from the Kate Thomas for ASOS range and I will show you what I think of those this week

Stretch marks? Unbeleivably still none! I actually switched things up a tiny bit this week and instead of Palmers Cocoa Butter over been using Soap & Glory's Body Butter on my tummy and over my thighs. It actually really helped the dryness (not the itchiness though!) and my belly now feel super soft and smells pretty good too! I have still been using my Mama Mio Boob Tube (review here) which doesn't seem to be running out anytime soon even though I use it very single night!? Impressed.

Sleep: Sleep has gone rapidly down hill and I find my lower back, pelvis and tummy are quite sore after a couple of hours of sleep. By this time I also need to get up and go to the loo and it pretty much carries on like this until about 6-7am in 2 hour intervals!

Best moment this week: We moved into our new home yesterday and it was the best feeling ever knowing that we can take our little baby boy home there! We spent our first evening eating am Indian takeaway and chocolate from the comfort of pink beanbags in from of X factor - it was perfect and I love my Mr H so so much for getting us in here in time!!!!

Worst Moment This Week: I haven't really had one!!!!

Food cravings: Hazelnut hot chocolates of course.. And I was most impressed with Costa's Christmas cups!!

Miss anything? I guess just my old body/self now!

Movement: This little bean is so active it's crazy! We did have one very queit day this week from him where I was a little bit concerned as he is usually wiggling around all over the place however normal service resumed early the next morning! Also Mr H was laying with his head next to my belly one night this week and Harry kicked him right in the face with a little foot!

Anything making you queasy or sick: I have had random bouts of nausea this week but nothing too unbearable

Gender: BOY!

Labour signs: I don't think I have had any signs this week! He seems to be pretty snug in there! I wonder if he is waiting for our new sofas to arrive so he can make a mess!????? Hope not :-/

Symptoms: Srill all the same symptoms as last week but a little bit more intense, so a lot of period pain like tummy aches, cramps and pressure in my pelvis. The shooting pains are more frequent and I am now getting an aching in my lower back which I haven't had before

The rib pain is also still there!

Heartburn again has been very random.. Some days none at all and others it's so bad it's making me gag!

Belly button in or out? It's so flat like I never had a belly button!

Happy or moody most of the time? I'm happy but pretty fed up of pregnancy now!!

Looking forward to: Harry's arrival!!! It finally feels like we can be excited for it and not apprehensive that our house won't be ready! We are even setting up his steriliser today so everything is ready for him!!

Wednesday, 6 November 2013

As I am nearing the end of my pregnancy I can't help but do a little 'jiggle of joy' at the fact I can say goodbye to my extremely limited maternity wardrobe and say hello to some of my old clothes!!

Don't get me wrong I know I'm not going to be back in my size 8 skinnies straight away or going out on a huge shopping spree on my pathetic maternity pay, but here are some of the A/W items I have had my eye on and would love to be seen in in the coming months..

1. Bellfield Padded Pom Pom Coat £70 from ASOS - Rumour has it we are in for a proper chilly, snowy winter so a cosy padded coat will be needed! I love this one by Bellfield @ ASOS, its really wintery, warm and I adore the fur pom poms!

2. Textural Bobble Hat £14.95 from GAP - I actually have this bobble hat on order as Mr H saw it online a few days ago and said I need it!! I love a bobble hat and I have quite a collection of them! This chunky knitted one from Gap is great value and really nice quality and again will keep you nice and warm in the chilly weather3. Converse All Star Canvas White Mono £47.99 from Office - I live in my Converse (who doesn't) and I really really like the White Mono editions which are totally plain white! Unlike my usual everyday converse, which are proper filthy and worn in, I think these would only look good kept crisp and clean so maybe aren't for muddy puddle days!4. Astley Clarke Wisdom Skinny Bracelet £65 from Astley Clarke - I actually just bought one of my besties the black "Luck" version of this friendship bracelet and I am loving this royal blue "Wisdom" one. Astley Clarke do some really stunning jewellery - most of which is totally out of my price range but at £65 these bracelets make really nice gifts for someone special!5. Silver Fluffy Boyfriend Cardigan £40 from River Island - I saw this cardi on a recent trip to RI and fell in love with it immediately! Its so fluffy and Christmassy looking and would look great over a plain tee and some skinnies!6. Polka Dot Shirt £29.99 from Zara - I am really into shirts over jeans at the moment and this one from Zara is right up my street although I do think its a little over priced for a sheer shirt that you could probably find cheaper in H&M. Zara however do usually have amazing sales!!7. Daniel Wellington Classy Cambridge Watch £99 from Daniel Wellington - I first saw these watches over on Rosie's blog and ever since I seem to spot them everywhere! They are really great casual watches that look effortlessly chic and classic and the stripe material is a great alternative to a chunky metal strap

8. Miss KG Bonjour Ankle Boots £90 from Kurt Geiger - I am really into these cut out boots at the moment and they seem to be popping up everywhere. I live in ankle boots during Autumn and Winter and these Kurt Geiger ones are just pure perfection! Again these are quite pricey but in my experience KG make really good quality shoes and boots PLUS they always have amazing sales if you can wait until then!9. Knitted Fluffy Crew Jumper £38 from Topshop - I am a bit of a sucker for pastel coloured jumpers! I think they are really flattering when worn with simple jeans and boots and this pale pink knit from Topshop is great for just that.I must say though I have totally gone off Toppers these days and very rarely purchase from there (I never thought I would say that being an ex employee!!!) I find their clothing is completely aimed at the teenage market now and it isn't really first with the latest fashions like it was a couple of years ago - bring back the Kate Moss!10. Barbour Lambs Wool Tartan Scarf﻿ £27 from ASOS - Although this scarf is from the men's section I don't really see what makes a scarf a mans scarf (they are totally unisex right!?) and I love the pattern on this one so I am adding this to my wishlist!!

11. Tartan Jersey Swing Dress £22 from ASOS - Loving the tartan this year! This dress is so cute I think I may have to get it if I can slim down enough!! Its a steal at £22 as well, I think my maternity pay can stretch to a treat at this price :-)What looks are you loving this A/W?